Right Here All Along
by VagueIdeas
Summary: Why does Hermione's sudden bout of sleepwalking land her straight in Ron's bed? Will be finished at some point!
1. Chapter 1

Right Here All Along   
By Sunshine  
vee_sunshine@yahoo.com  
  
Rating: PG-13 right now, probably higher later on  
Category: Ron/Hermione, Romance  
Disclaimer: Were not, are not and never will be mine. The characters belong to J. K. Rowling, the title to Amanda Marshall  
Summary: What is Hermione doing in Ron's bed in the middle of the night?  
Feedback: Well, YES of course.   
Author's note: I'm sorry this is not the new chapter but a revised first part. I'm swamped with work right now, and although I have started on the next part it will take me a few more weeks to update. However, I have finally completed my other story, so when I do sit down to write I'll be completely concentrating on this one!  
  
A big thank you to Moey at the SugarQuill for beta work!  
  
***  
Chapter 1  
  
Ron slowly opened his eyes. He was sure that he had heard something within the room that didn't belong there. Having slept with these boys in a Gryffindor dorm room for going on six years, he knew the sounds they made at night by heart. There was Seamus' low mumbling, Harry's struggling with the occasional nightmare, Dean's tendency to somehow get caught up in his bed-curtains and his efforts to throw them off during his sleep, and then Neville's soft snoring. But this sounded different. It sounded more like...footsteps?  
  
Yes, that was it. Well, if it was only footsteps, he needn't have worried. It was probably Seamus going to a midnight meeting with Lavender. He had been doing that quite often - ever since school had started back up last month, Ron had been awakened by him once or twice. He lay back down and closed his eyes.  
  
However the footsteps didn't seem to go away. On the contrary, they seemed to be getting closer to his bed. Even though he reasoned that it might be Harry coming to see if he was still awake at this late hour, he clearly remembered the time in third year when he had woken up to the sight of slashed curtains and Sirius Black standing over him with a knife, and he was instantly alert. Although nothing had seemed to be out of the ordinary lately, everybody knew it was just a short period of time until the newly empowered Voldemort and his followers would try something.   
  
Ron tensed and grabbed for his wand when the curtains to his bed were opened and a figure slipped through. The person wasn't very big, in fact they seemed to be very slim and petite. Ron relaxed when he recognized Hermione, but when she didn't say a word and slipped into bed with him he was bewildered. What was she doing here at night? She was dressed only in her nightgown, he could feel its fabric on his arms and legs as she had cuddled close immediately, and for a moment he was worried that something had happened.   
  
It was definitely not normal for her to just come to his bed, even though she did feel awfully nice pressed against him, but if he remembered correctly she hadn't been in his dorm more than two or maybe three times. There must be something wrong, even though - or because - she didn't make any attempt to speak.  
  
"Hermione? What are you doing here?"  
  
When she didn't answer he bent closer to her face and noticed that her eyes were closed. She mumbled something incomprehensible and then nestled closer to his body, slinging her arm around his torso and nestling her head in the crook of his neck. It felt good to have her so close to him, but Ron blocked that trail of thought as soon as it came up in his mind. This was not the time to deal with it, not when they were so close and both only half-dressed.  
  
"Hey, Hermione!" he tried a little louder, but there still was no response from the girl in his arms. He was dumbfounded. What was she doing here? She certainly seemed to be asleep. And what was he supposed to do? He couldn't raise his voice any more, if he happened to wake any of the other boys apart from Harry, neither he nor Hermione would ever live this down. A girl in a boy's bed at night was just too interesting a story to tell.   
  
Even if there was nothing to it, Ron added silently. Nothing was between the two of them except friendship and the mutual desire to quarrel with the other as much as possible. So what should he do? Could he risk staying like this and try again later? Maybe she would wake up herself if he just left her alone for a couple more minutes. She surely would. Hermione was a sensible girl, she would know what to do, and then he wouldn't have to think about the way she felt any longer.  
  
***  
  
Hermione felt warm and cosy. She hadn't slept this well in weeks, having had nightmares almost every other night since the previous school term. In fact, she felt so relaxed that she didn't even notice the other body in bed with her until she was about to stretch languorously. When she started rolling onto her back she suddenly became aware of the fact that there was an arm slung over her middle pulling her tight against a - very obviously - male body. Her arm was tossed around this same body, buried in its soft hair.   
  
Hermione started to panic and launched into a laboured breath. When she inhaled the scent of the person beside her she calmed down. Mmm, sandalwood and that musky smell she realized belonged to none other than Ron Weasley. Goodness, he smelled fine. Male and sleepy - if there even was a smell categorized as sleepy she didn't know, but it fit this situation perfectly.   
  
Having recognized him Hermione was somewhat put at ease, but it did raise the question of what he was doing in bed with her. Whose bed were they in anyway? Waking up she had believed it to be hers, but now that she got the chance to look around she noticed that the morning light came in at a different angle than usual and as a result she realized that she must be in Ron's bed. But how had she gotten here? And - oh God - how was she going to get out of the room unnoticed?   
  
There were four other boys besides Ron sleeping in it and if even one of them saw her, she was sure she would be teased endlessly. Especially by Ron! Hopefully he hadn't noticed anything yet. But she knew that he either already knew or he was bound to notice once she tried to get out of his embrace, a task she had postponed not entirely out of the desire to not wake up Ron. If truth be told, it had just felt way to good to let go of so fast...  
  
Well, how was she going to manage this? She had to get out of the room quickly, if the morning sun already reached this bed, it wouldn't be too long until one of the other boys woke up, even on a Sunday.   
  
Carefully she untangled her arm from Ron's hair (it was awfully soft at his nape she absentmindedly realized) and drew it slowly back to her body. Then she grabbed over with her right hand to get his left arm from around her body, but when she took hold of his wrist he locked his arm around her even more tightly than before, forcing her right one to be pulled upwards and resulting in her thrusting her upper body into his.   
  
She blushed even though he was hopefully still sleeping (although parts of him seemed to be very awake) and quickly snatched back her hand. Looking up to make sure he was still fast asleep, she almost yelped when she looked into his bottomless brown eyes.  
  
"Hey, ´Mione."   
  
"Uhm...good morning, Ron."  
  
Hermione felt the blush spreading on her cheeks. Although it was unexpected to have him not yell at her for being in his bed, she was confused at his tender tone. He wasn't gentle often, and in her opinion this was hardly the situation for him to be so. He smiled at her sleepily and it was so cute she couldn't help smiling back. Plus, he still hadn't let go of her, a fact that she filed away for later.  
  
"Still here, huh?"  
  
"I guess...wait, what do you mean 'still'?"  
  
Oh no, had he noticed her coming here? Did he think she had done it on purpose? Would he read something into it that she might have meant but never intended for him to know? This was so embarrassing!   
  
"Well, I fell asleep thinking that you would be gone in the morning, but I don't regret you staying. It's a welcome change to see a pretty girl first thing in the morning."  
  
Ron didn't know where he had gotten the confidence to say the things and behave the way he had in the last few minutes. The only explanation he could find was that he was simply too tired to think much about his behaviour and had just acted on impulse. It had been wonderful to wake up with a female body - Hermione's body - pressed tightly against his, and he almost dreaded having to let her go.   
  
She was just so adorable blushing the way she did - and she'd already done it three times since he woke up. He wondered whether he could continue making her blush, and whether all it took was just a little more self-confidence to accomplish this goal. If it continued surprising her and rendering her speechless it definitely was worth trying.   
  
"Oh. Well, I don't know how I got here, and I never sleepwalked before, but that must have been it. I couldn't imagine anything else."  
  
"Sure, must have been it."  
  
At that moment Dean murmured something in his sleep, and Ron and Hermione fell silent. They knew she had to leave immediately, but none of them could bear letting go of the other. It was Ron who finally pulled his arm from around her and stood up quietly. Hermione looked on bewildered while he went over to Harry's bed, but when he bend down and took something out of the suitcase underneath the bed she realized what he was doing. He was getting the Invisibility Cloak for her!  
  
It was quite astonishing, Hermione thought. Ron wouldn't have shown this much consideration or common sense even a year ago, and it made her chest constrict. She had had issues with her feelings towards the red-headed boy she loved to fight with for almost two years, but never had she come as close to letting them overwhelm her as she was right now.   
  
He was just so sweet and looked very handsome in his boxers and t-shirt with sleep-tousled hair, having grown into his lanky frame seemingly over the summer. He now stood a muscular 6'1'', and Hermione idly wondered where he'd gotten the muscles from. She reasoned that it must have been in his genes, but she didn't really care. He just looked good, he did, and with this last thought she pushed herself up and put her feet on the ground.   
  
Ron handed her the Invisibility Cloak carefully and helped her put it on before he whispered into what he assumed was her ear.  
  
"You give it back to me at breakfast and I'll put it right back, that way Harry'll never notice it was gone. Take care, okay?"  
  
Hermione had turned towards his head when she had fastened the cloak and that way his mouth ended up right in front of her lips when he spoke. She could feel his breath on her lips and was extremely tempted to lean forward just a little bit, but she resisted the attraction and whispered back.  
  
"I will. You know, I really do thank you for all this, Ron. I'm glad that you are my friend."  
  
"Same here, 'Mione. Now go and don't get caught! See you at breakfast."  
  
***  
  
Hermione rushed back to her own room as quickly as she could. She took the cloak off before she entered the room, just in case any of her roommates were already awake. Quietly she entered the room and tiptoed to her bed. Both Lavender and Parvati still seemed to be asleep, and she had no problems getting back into bed. She pulled the blanket up over her head and sighed deeply.   
  
Now that had been some adventure! She was sure that as long as she lived she would never forget lying that close to Ron and feeling the places where his skin touched hers intimately. He had smelled so good, felt so good and she didn't remember having ever felt this wonderful before.   
  
She hadn't dared to think too much about him with him still in the same room, although she had admittedly gotten sidetracked. It wasn't everyday that she got to see Ron in boxers and a tight t-shirt, and she surely wouldn't get to admire him like that again in the near future. It couldn't hurt appreciating his physique from afar if she took care to do it in private only, could it?  
  
He was one of her best friends, and it wouldn't do for her to develop a serious attraction towards him. Even if she did - well, did anything about it. She knew that she was past the developing stadium already. - a relationship was not going to happen.   
  
She knew that Ron was more the pretty-girl-type. She had seen Fleur, hadn't she? And even without her stupid teeth she still had the bushy hair, that in her opinion, would forever keep her from being one of those pretty girls.  
  
If she shut her eyes she could still vividly remember everything about the encounter. His breath on her head, his heart beating under her cheek and his arm around her. She had felt him in every pore of her body, at least it had seemed that way. She wasn't sure it would be easy to go back to the way things were before.  
  
Before, when she'd been denying her attraction towards him, she'd told herself time and time again that she was in fact not attracted to him. At all. Nope. Well, now she certainly couldn't do that anymore. He was just so...so...Ron. Ron with the bright red hair, Ron with the short temper. Caring sweet wonderful Ron.   
  
Oh, whatever was she supposed to do now?  
  
***  
  
An hour after she had gone back to her own bed she got up and started readying herself for breakfast. Even as a Muggle-born, she had quickly adapted and had worn her cloaks on Sundays and holidays ever since her first year at Hogwarts.   
  
She put her hair up in a bun; she never had cared about her looks much and it was just the most sensible way to put it, even if it stuck out all around the hair clip. Putting on her shoes she took the Invisibility Cloak into her hands. How was she supposed to give it to Ron without Harry noticing? She could either put it underneath her own coat and try to give it to Ron when Harry was busy climbing through the portrait hole, or she could...hmm. Maybe she cold put it into her bag and pretend she was going to do schoolwork later on. But it would take longer to get it out of her bag, so she decided to tie it around her middle inside out, that way it would not render her partly invisible.  
  
She went down the stairs to the Gryffindor common room slowly, thinking about how she was going to behave towards Ron. It was best to pretend nothing had happen, she decided; he would probably do the same. By the time she had reached this conclusion she had reached the bottom of the stairs but nobody was to be seen. It really was quite early, what if Ron and Harry decided to sleep in? She had gone to breakfast without them often, it wasn't an uncommon occurrence that she was awake before them.   
  
Just as she was about to go and sit down in one of the chairs and wait for them, she could hear Ron's voice coming from the stairs to the boy's dorms.  
  
"Hey Harry, you reckon Hermione will wait for us today? I don't know how she manages to be up so early every Sunday. But we're up pretty early ourselves today, so maybe we won't have missed her."  
  
"I don't know, Ron. You could be right, though. I don't think you've ever been up so early on a Sunday before. What's up with that?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know. I just slept really well today and woke up when the sunlight reached the slit between my curtain."  
  
"Oh. Ah, there she is! Morning Hermione!"  
  
"Good morning Harry! Ron."  
  
The last word was more of a statement than an addition to the first part, but Harry didn't seem to notice. Ron did though, and he smiled at Hermione with sparkling eyes.  
  
"Hey 'Mione, you sleep well? Ready to go to breakfast with us?"  
  
"Yes, I did indeed sleep well, but don't you "Mione" me! You know I don't appreciate being called by a nickname!"   
  
"Sorry, don't go biting my head of. I just thought you looked like a Mione today, what with your hair up like that. It makes you seem more relaxed and I'm not afraid that you demand I study every time I look at you."  
  
"Oh Ron! Anyway, lets go to breakfast."  
  
While Ron and Hermione had their little argument, Harry had preceded them to the portrait hole. He was used to them fighting all the time and didn't notice when it turned quiet behind him. That was usually the state where they stopped talking to each other for a few minutes and he had to plead them to put away their differences at least for the duration of breakfast.  
  
What he hadn't noticed was that Hermione had quickly given Ron the Invisibility Cloak when she was sure Harry wasn't going to look at them. He had made sure to brush her fingers whilst taking it from her, and then he had turned around to go back up into the boy's dorms. He had given Hermione a look that said 'now you go and make up some story to tell Harry' and she turned around to follow Harry through the hole.   
  
"Where's Ron?" he asked when she was the only one following him.  
  
"Uhm, I think he murmured something about having forgotten his...uhm...socks!"  
  
"Socks? Are you sure he isn't sick? First the waking up early, now the socks..."  
  
"Oh no, maybe he just had cold feet or something. I don't know."  
  
"Well, let's wait for him then."  
  
*** 


	2. Chapter 2

Right Here All Along   
by Sunshine  
vee_sunshine@yahoo.com  
  
Rating: still PG-13 right now, probably higher later on  
Category: Ron/Hermione, Romance  
Disclaimer: Were not, are not and never will be mine. The characters belong to J. K. Rowling, the title to Amanda Marshall  
Summary: The Morning after...the sleepwalking incident  
Feedback: Well, YES of course. Please.  
  
Author's note: Thank you to all of the reviewers, I do intend to continue - and the rating *will* go up (sorry, Chibi-Usa) - but it'll take a while because I am busy studying.  
  
A/N 03-12-02: I'm *very* sorry for the long delay - when I started this fic I didn't expect to have months between chapters...But real life caught up as usual, and I'm also sorry to say that I won't be able to promise a shorter interval this time. I promise I'll try, but as there is so much studying I'll have to do in the next months...Y'all wish me luck and I'll do my best!  
  
A/N 03-24-02: Herm- Well, I was going to wait until my beta had given his opinion on the last sentence, but you just couldn't wait...no, seriously, if he disagrees, I'll just change this version a bit!  
  
And now have *fun*!  
  
***  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Only a short while later the portrait hole opened again and Ron climbed through. He grinned when he saw Harry and Hermione waiting for him and joined them on their way to the Great Hall.  
  
"So, did you get your socks?" Harry asked when he started walking.  
  
"My socks?" Surprised Ron turned towards his friend.  
  
"Oh", Hermione prompted, "I told Harry about how you forgot your socks and went up to your room to get them."  
  
After Ron had gotten her point he smiled quietly to himself and quickly agreed, and by the time they had reached the Great Hall they were chatting amicably about their plans for the day. Hermione wanted to review the ingredients for a limb-growing potion they were going to prepare in the next week and intended to spend some time in the library. She had already finished all her homework the day before, so when Ron and Harry proposed that they visit Hagrid for tea she went along with their suggestion.  
  
There weren't many people having breakfast when they sat down at the Gryffindor table. It really was quite early, and even after they finished their meal and went back to the common room only five other students were sitting in the chairs throughout the room.  
  
The three friends flopped down onto the couch and easy chairs by the fireplace where Ron and Harry continued their conversation about Quidditch techniques. Sometimes Hermione wondered how they could keep on talking about Quidditch even after having spent six years doing just that, but she knew how much they both loved the game and idly followed their discussion.  
  
She herself had never been much good at flying, feeling out of control when riding on her broom, and therefore she had not taken much of an interest in Quidditch. It probably was a really fascinating sport, but if you weren't actively participating you could just not get into it, Hermione supposed. At least it was like that for her, and the only thing she regretted was not knowing what Harry and Ron talked about when they discussed weird manoeuvres. Like the *Wronski* feint. She'd definitely never forget that!  
  
Regardless of the fact that she didn't know much about Quidditch, she did go and watch every match. Harry and Ron were on the team, Ron having taken over the position of Oliver Wood after he'd left Hogwarts. He was a good Keeper. Maybe not as great as Harry, the Seeker, but then Harry was a natural talent, and Ron had to train hard, especially on his old broom.   
  
At the games she tended to get pretty emotional, too. Surprisingly enough, this was an occasion when theory just didn't interest her half as much as the actual outcome, and it was always exciting to see Ron do some outrageous stunt while trying to block the Quaffles - he was even worse than Harry at scaring her to death!  
  
When Hermione turned her attention back to her two best friends they'd apparently changed topics. Now they were talking about some upcoming homework that surprisingly Ron had already finished. Harry still had to do it though, and he went to get some parchment and the books from the boy's dorm.  
  
"Hey Hermione, you reckon we could play chess?"  
  
"Well, why not. I might defeat you again today."  
  
"As if. You only managed to beat me once, and that was because I was still recovering from that mind blocking potion Snape had me test!"  
  
"Hah, you're only saying that because you don't want to recognize my victory for what it was. But I'll prove it to you, you'll see!"  
  
Ron grinned at her. He knew of course that he'd let her win that one time, just so she wouldn't stop playing with him. She'd become frustrated sometime during their fifth year and he had been afraid that she would not want to keep doing something she knew she was never going to master, and he'd used the mind blocking potion as an excuse. It was just so much fun doing things with her, especially if they resulted in another small fight.   
  
He loved their sparring matches. When she was angry or annoyed or wanted to convince him of something really badly her eyes got this glint that he thought was just too endearing. With her flushed face, her curly hair and her glinting eyes she was the most beautiful thing, but he would of course never tell her that. He would just go on taunting her and make sure he didn't overdo it.  
  
Real fights with her were hard. In their third year they had quarrelled rather seriously, as had they for a short time during fourth year, and although he couldn't have said then why he had been so unhappy all the time he knew today he had just missed her company. Even when she was being her most obnoxious self he could remember all the good times they'd had together, all the times she'd stood up for Harry or him, all the things she had lost by being with them.   
  
She could have been head girl, and she should have been, but because she hung out with Harry and him she got caught up in their plans, especially the ones that went against school rules. In their fifth year the three of them had been made prefects for some reason, although he reckoned Harry and especially Hermione deserved that. But due to some unfortunate incident during their sixth year where Hermione had covered for her friends she had lost her chances of being head girl, a position he knew she had worked for most of her days at Hogwarts.  
  
And she didn't even seem to mind. Ron knew she did, but in the end she had chosen her friends over her dreams and this fact still made him feel achy inside. He didn't know whether he would have done the same thing if he'd been on the list for being head boy although he probably would have, but for her to do this had meant a lot to him. That was just the way Hermione was, always telling them not to break the rules and to be careful, but if push came to shove she would do the same thing herself in a heartbeat.  
  
While they were getting out the chessboard and positioning the chessmen Ron observed Hermione closely. He wondered if she would just ignore the night before and not mention it again, and decided that he couldn't let her. If she pretended it never happened that would be too easy, and he was not going to make it easy in on her.  
  
"So, did you get back to bed alright?" he whispered when he was sure nobody was in listening range.  
  
"Huh?" Hermione looked up startled. She had been sure he was not going to talk about it, but apparently she was wrong. On the one hand she felt glad that he didn't just forget about it, on the other hand this presented her with the difficult situation of having to think about their shared closeness the night before.  
  
"Oh. Yes, I did. Lavender and Parvati both were still asleep and I didn't have any other problems. Well, you wanna go first?"  
  
"Go fir-...no, I'll give you a head start. You'll need it."  
  
"No, I won't. But *thank* you, anyway", she added rather ironically.  
  
"Well, then. Hopefully you know what to do with a chessboard better than what you do at night."  
  
Hermione blushed. The comment hadn't even been a very suggestive one, but the way he'd said it just played havoc on her nerve endings. They tingled all along her body and she had to breath in deeply to master the heavy feeling in her chest.  
  
A few minutes later Harry reappeared with his school things and sat back down at a table near them. They continued the morning in comfortable closeness, talking about everything from Hogsmeade to classes. Of course Ron beat Hermione, but they still had a good time playing each other. Ron had always preferred going against Hermione because she presented the greatest challenge, and Hermione secretly liked trying to best Ron at something he loved.  
  
Harry was doing his schoolwork while listening to his best friends arguing over the importance of homework and planning their next trip to Hogsmeade with an amused expression on his face. These two were just perfect for each other, and he knew they had at least admitted to themselves the way they felt about the other, but they were both too stubborn to do anything about it.  
  
Sometimes he just wanted to lock them into a closet and leave them in it until they admitted their feelings, but it was much more fun to see them dancing around each other like this. Each observing the other when they thought nobody was watching - it was just too amusing.  
  
Right now Ron had "innocently" put his leg so that Hermione would have to change her seated position completely if she had wanted to keep from touching it with her own, but of course she did *not* want to. She herself had leaned forward, put her chin in her hands and was watching Ron contemplate his next move.  
  
Harry could see Colin Creevy out of the corner of his eyes and got an idea. He waved him over carefully as not to disturb his two friends and whispered his plan into Colin's ear. Colin grinned and nodded.   
  
He turned off the flash on his camera and walked a few steps back to take a picture of Ron and Hermione. Then he walked around and took another picture from the other side of the room without the two noticing, so intensely focussed were they on the chessboard and each other. Colin smiled at Harry and turned around to go back to his group of friends, while Harry himself shook his head and went back to concentrating on his essay.  
  
***  
  
When he went to bed that night Ron couldn't keep from wishing for a repeat performance of the night before. He smiled at the memory of his Hermione - when had he started seeing her as his? - in bed with him, and wondered what it would take to have her in it again. After all, he had decided on being a little more assertive, and he'd not made use of that much this day.  
  
Was there a way? Or should he just wait for her and go over there himself if she didn't come? After all, Harry had not noticed about the missing Invisibility Cloak, had he? And it would be so much fun to get into the girls dormitories unnoticed, and see how Hermione would react to finding him in her bed for a change. Oh, that would be too interesting a chance to pass up on...  
  
He waited for about an hour trying not to give in to sleep, but she didn't show up. Around him the other boys had fallen asleep one by one, as he had lain awake thinking about Hermione. Ever since he had admitted to himself he felt something for her that wasn't friendship, he had allowed himself to observe her more closely than before.  
  
In Hagrid's cabin, for instance, he had taken notice of the way she put both her hands around her cup to keep them warm. It had been endearing to see her eyes peeking up at them over the brim of the cup, and when she'd stumbled on their way back to Hogwarts, not falling down only because he had taken a hold of her waist, it had been hard to let her go. She had seemed so incredibly soft under his hands and he'd been very thankful for the wide robes afterwards, as the memory of her in skimpy thin nightclothes had made his lower body react almost violently.  
  
Impatiently he was just about to get the Invisibility Cloak from Harry's suitcase when he heard the door open. He turned towards it, and grinned slyly when Hermione entered the room as if in a stupor, apparently recognizing his form over by Harry's bed, and zoning in on it.   
  
She walked to him, took his arm and pulled him to his bed with her, then pushed him onto it and crawled over right on top of him. Almost at once she fell back asleep, and he was left with an uncomfortably tight feeling everywhere in his body.   
  
He didn't dare move her too much though; it felt to good having her sprawled all over him like this, her head on his chest and her legs on either side of his. One of her hands was tucked underneath his shoulder, the other intertwined with his fingers. Carefully, as not to disturb her, he pulled up the blankets with the arm she had not taken into possession and completely closed the curtains of the four-poster.   
  
They would have to find out what it was that made her sleepwalk he supposed, but that could definitely wait for some other time. Right now he felt pretty good and he wasn't about to chance that. Regretting that he was simply too tired to do anything else he promptly fell asleep.  
  
***  
  
Harry was the first to awake on Monday morning, and after stretching he got up and went over to Ron's bed in order to wake him. When he pulled back the curtains he was still smiling over his best friend who tended to oversleep if no one woke him personally, therefore he had already reached out for Ron's shoulder when he noticed that it was Hermione's shoulder he was heading for instead.   
  
Before his mind caught up with his hand he let out a small shriek that he was embarrassed about soon after. That sounded a lot like Ginny being nervous around him, and decidedly not like the boy-who-lived! Harry smiled. Here he was, debating on whether he sounded girly while his two best friends were lying in bed with each other - this was simply too good to be true!  
  
For a moment he almost wanted to get Colin in order to take another picture, but thoughts about what waking up to a flashing camera (and probably the entire 6th year dorm who would be awake by the time Colin arrived) could do to Ron and Hermione's budding relationship quickly squelched that stupid idea. Nah, it would be so much more fun to let them deal with their good friend Harry.  
  
Still smiling, he reached out anew for both Hermione's and Ron's shoulders' and shook them.  
  
Ron mumbled something incoherently into Hermione's hair before he started to open his eyes while his bedmate opened her eyes almost immediately upon being touched and shot up into a seated position. She seemed disoriented at first, then glanced around and noticed Ron on the bed trying to curl around her. She blushed furiously when she finally looked up into Harry's eyes and he grinned at her.  
  
Ron, who had not succeeded in getting his eyes open, had only recognized that something was amiss when his very nice and comfortable pillow started to move. His hands wandered up Hermione's upper body in order to find out what this 'pillow' was, and only when she stopped his hands from reaching a too-familiar place did he sit up, as well. Upon having reached this position he saw Harry, and - embarrassed - let his head fall down on Hermione's shoulder.   
  
"Is there anything you want to tell me?"  
  
***  
  
I'd like some feedback...that usually prompts me to write some more! And, of course, I'm always open for constructive criticism. 


	3. Interlude

Right Here All Along   
By Sunshine  
vee_sunshine@yahoo.com  
  
Rating: PG-13 right now, maybe higher later on  
Category: Ron/Hermione, Romance  
Disclaimer: Were not, are not and never will be mine. The characters belong to J. K. Rowling, the title to Amanda Marshall  
Summary: We're getting a lot closer to the 'why' of Hermione's sleepwalking  
Feedback: Well, of course I'd love to get feedback. What author doesn't?  
  
A/N 03-12-02: I'm *very* sorry for the long delay - when I started this fic I didn't expect to have months between chapters...But real life caught up as usual, and I'm also sorry to say that I won't be able to promise a shorter interval this time. I promise I'll try, but as there is so much studying I'll have to do in the next months...Y'all wish me luck and I'll do my best!  
  
A/N 09-05-02: Unfortunately most of what I said above is still true - I cannot promise shorter periods between chapters. I finished my studying - passed my exams and everything - a few months ago, but I seem to be struck with writer's block. Nothing I wrote was good, I deleted scenes more often than I wrote them, and I'm not sure how soon I will be able to finish this story - but I *will* finish it. I am going to be moving though - to another country no less - and I don't know how much time I'll have to write in the next months.  
Since I didn't want to leave you hanging completely, I'm giving you the first part of Chapter 3 - or maybe just an Interlude, I'm not sure.  
  
BTW: I'm sorry, but this story is unbetaed, so hopefully it doesn't suck too bad.  
  
Dear Alessandra - I am very sorry I promised you new parts all the time and wasn't able to hold my promise. I therefore dedicate this piece to you!  
  
And now *enjoy*!  
  
  
___  
  
  
Chapter 3a  
  
Surprisingly, it was Ron who spoke first.  
  
"Well, you see, I mean ... it's not like we did anything...you know...well, it's just that Hermione has started sleepwalking. Yes, sleepwalking. At night. When she's asleep. Guess we'll have to find out why, since it wasn't the first time...she sleepwalked!"  
  
"Oh, it wasn't? This situation is just too good to be true...but right now, you two need to get out of each other's arms because it is after all a Monday morning and Hermione has to go back to her dorm before anybody else wakes up!"  
  
"Of course, Harry, you are completely right. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to borrow your Invisibility Cloak to get back to the dorm unnoticed. And...thank you for not making too much of a scene..."  
  
"You're welcome, Hermione. Here you go. But don't you - or you, Ron - believe that this conversation is over yet!"  
  
With this Hermione entangled herself from Ron's arms - how come they had stayed around her all this time - and stood up quietly. Walking around the bed she took the proffered Cloak, slipped it onto her shoulders, and with a last shy smile to Ron she covered her head and vanished from view.  
  
"See you at breakfast", came her voice out of thin air before the door to the boy's dorm opened and closed silently.  
  
"Uhm...I'm going to brush my teeth right now." Ron hurriedly left his bed and started to rush to the communal bathroom, followed closely by Harry who couldn't resist teasing his best friend.  
  
"What, so you won't have morning breath at breakfast?"  
  
"Ha ha." He started getting his toothbrush ready, putting the paste onto it and lifting it to his mouth when he stopped halfway. "Harry?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Please don't make too much fun of Hermione, okay? I think it's pretty embarrassing to her."  
  
Harry smiled. After calming Ron's thoughts by assuring him that of course he wouldn't tease her, he shook his head. Ron had matured more over the summer than he had thought, it seemed. It wasn't like the old Ron to think of other's feelings before his own, and being this considerate about them proved his maturity more than any physical changes that had also occurred during the summer.   
  
Harry was glad. While it was certainly advantageous to have somebody like Ron around him, who always made jokes and was the stereotypical boy, it wasn't always easy to be around him when he, Harry, felt a little more grown-up. But Ron's apparent new maturity would certainly benefit from his growing attraction to Hermione. Harry was certain it would be much easier for Ron after Hogwarts if he were a little more self-confident while being more self-confident would also help him in his relationship with their smart friend...perfect!  
  
***  
  
After lunch with Hermione and Ron, Harry excused himself and went to the library. They had a new project in Charms that was due in two weeks, and Harry felt he should at least make the effort and check out some books early on, so that Hermione wouldn't be all too reluctant about helping him with it two days before the due date (when he knew he wouldn't have it all done). It also wasn't too suspicious in leaving Ron and Hermione alone with each other, since Hermione had promised Ron help with his Astronomy homework, something Harry had finished with effort the night before.  
  
As he entered the library he tried to smile at Madam Pince, she always seemed suspicious when he came alone. It's not as if I do anything to the books without Hermione to supervise me.  
  
He wandered over to the Charms section and looked for books on ...He found three books that sounded promising, and one more that he wasn't so sure about. When he turned to go though, he thought that he heard Hermione's name spoken somewhere behind the stacks.  
  
"Yes, I know. We were lucky she's such a heavy sleeper the day before a test."  
  
"Must be because she's studied herself silly in the week before..."  
  
"Yes!"   
  
Giggling could be heard. Harry figured Lavender and Parvati didn't have anything interesting to say, but they had had a Potions test on Friday - the day Hermione apparently started sleepwalking...  
  
"Oh, she wouldn't have been happy with us, had she seen what we did!"  
  
"I can imagine it vividly! 'What do you two think you're doing? That is *not* a spell that should be done without supervision! Don't you know how dangerous this could be?'"  
  
"Exactly!" Giggling again. "And it didn't even work anyhow. It's been what - three days? And I haven't noticed my love life getting any more exciting. Stupid spell!"  
  
"What about that conversation with Seamus before lunch? No excitement?"  
  
"The stupid git just wanted to know whether I had seen his red magic marker, since I sit next to him in Transfiguration."  
  
"Oh well, we could always try another spell from 'One Hundred Obscure Ways to Bring Excitement into Your Love Life'. See if they work any better than number 77!"  
  
"I don't know. I think we should take it back and get 'One Hundred Fun Ways to Snag the Love of Your Life' instead."  
  
"Okay, we can do that. I'll go and get it right now!"  
  
Well, wasn't that interesting, Harry thought. He wasn't quite sure how exactly this was related to Hermione's mysterious sleepwalking, but if he got hold of the book he just might be able to get a little closer to it.  
  
  
  
  
  
More *hopefully* soon! 


	4. Chapter 3

Right Here All Along   
by Sunshine  
vee_sunshine@yahoo.com  
  
Rating: PG-13 right now, probably higher later on  
Category: Ron/Hermione, Romance  
Disclaimer: Were not, are not and never will be mine. The characters belong to J. K. Rowling, the title to Amanda Marshall  
Summary: The Morning after...the sleepwalking incident  
Feedback: Well, YES of course. Please.  
  
Thank you so much to everybody who has reviewed or even taken the time to email me personally...if it wasn't for you, I'd have long given up on this. I will finish it, promise!  
  
A/N 19/03/03: And it's been months again...I really am sorry. I underestimated college and the work involved, plus having a passage to write that I didn't know how to kept me from writing as much as I hoped. Every email or review I got helped, though, it gave me the push I needed to think about how to put the words onto paper - well, the screen really. Once my exams are over I'm going to have a long summer, and I plan on finishing this fic during that time. There really isn't much more to come...  
  
Have *fun*!  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Hermione took a deep breath and leaned back over to see Ron's astronomy homework. They sat on a couch near one of the fireplaces, and because they hadn't managed to get a table, Ron had positioned his books on his knees.  
Every time Hermione leaned closer her whole left side brushed against Ron, something that was not at all unpleasant but did provide quite a distraction to her.  
  
She had had to catch her breath twice already, once when they had first sat down, the next time when they were talking and suddenly way to close when they turned their heads towards each other.   
  
'Just one teeny tiny move and his lips would have been on mine...No, think homework, Hermione. Astronomy homework!'  
  
Easier said than done, but Hermione couldn't afford to let her distraction show. If Ron noticed how infatuated she was with him, she was sure he would either laugh or be uncomfortable around her. Nothing was worse than finding out one of your best friends was in love with you and you didn't feel the same - in love? Oh my god, how could she not have recognized that she was in love with him?   
  
This changed everything!  
  
She would have been able to hide a crush, or simple lust. It wouldn't have been easy, but maybe it would have just gone away at one point.  
  
It really shouldn't have been such a surprise that it was love, after all this indistinct feeling had been simmering around in her for about two years and she knew she wouldn't have held onto a simple crush for this long (she wasn't Ginny after all). But she loved him, just as she loved Harry, and this being-in-love feeling wasn't that different from it.  
  
For reasons unknown to her, she had believed that she was just too smart and too *intellectual* to be able to feel love. Stupid reasons, apparently.  
  
Well, she would just have to cope with it.   
  
It couldn't be that much harder that lust, could it? She could not afford to lose one of her best friends due to her own stupidity, and if that meant hiding this newly discovered feeling, so be it. She would have to take care and stop these reactions to his proximity, his smell, his behaviour, and if she couldn't stop it, she would just have to push it down as far as possible. She couldn't simply stop being his friend after all, not that she had the desire to.   
  
She *would* cope.  
  
***  
  
Ron looked over to where Hermione was sitting with an expression of mild astonishment on her face. He was sure it wasn't his homework, that usually resulted in expressions of interest, irritation (usually if she was looking over Harry's or his) or various other ones, including fascination. But she wasn't even really looking at his scroll, more like staring at her hands.  
  
Well, they were pretty hands, but even they didn't deserve astonishment. At least not from Hermione.  
  
"You alright?"  
  
There was no answer, so Ron tried again.  
  
"Hermione!"  
  
"Hmm?" She turned towards him, but still seemed to be a bit lost.  
  
"Are you okay? You've got this really strange look in your eyes...not planning anything, are you?"  
  
"Oh. Oh no, just thinking about the...ahm...you know, your homework. It really is quite surprising how little effort both Harry and you put into this. You know we're going to take our N.E.W.T.s next year!"  
  
"'Mione, it's almost two more years until then, and we only just took our O.W.L.s...I think we deserve a bit of a rest!"  
  
"I know you are aware that we had a relaxing summer holiday, but since I haven't been able to change your approach to learning in the past five years, I don't feel like trying anymore right now. Let's get started on the Astronomy assignment."  
  
"As you wish, oh dearest Miss Granger!"  
  
***  
  
When Harry came into the common room, Ron was just putting his Astronomy homework back into his school back. Apparently they had managed to work it over in a relatively short amount of time - that gave Harry hope for his own more-or-less hastily scribbled assignment.  
  
"Hey you two! I think there is something you would like to know!"  
  
"Hi Harry. Did you manage to find some books for the Charms project? I found some very helpful books, but since I don't have the same topic as you I don't know if they might be helpful. I'm certain I'll finish mine this weekend, so you can have them afterwards if you want to."  
  
"Thank you Hermione, I did get some books for my own topic. But I wanted to show you this, it's much more interesting!"  
  
"Wow, what could that be? It's not hard to find something more interesting than Charms..."  
  
"I promise you'll enjoy it, Ron! Come on, have a look at this. I got this after Parvati and Lavender brought it back, because they were saying such fascinating things about it - for example about making your love life more interesting...now since theirs does not seem to have changed much, and the only change I observed after they cast the spell *exactly the day you told me Hermione's sleepwalking started* is precisely that..."  
  
"Me sleepwalking doesn't necessarily have to do with a spell concerning Lavender and Parvati's love life. But I do admit it sounds suspicious, especially if the days match."  
  
"I know. But I haven't yet had a look at the spell, so let's do that now. It should be number 77."  
  
Hermione looked through the index and found the page quickly.   
  
"Okay, here we go. Number 77- Let the unconscious mind reveal everything:  
  
The unconscious mind is unguarded - especially during sleep - and it might reveal somebody's interest in you. This spell will ensure that before 24 hours have passed, you will know if your crush might be interested in you, too!  
  
This incantation has to be done at night, preferably between one and two o'clock, as this is the time when mostly everybody is deeply asleep (even if somebody weren't, the spell would still work, albeit on a less intense level). Light a candle   
(red or pink work best) and concentrate on the flame while chanting quietly.  
  
My mother earth - reveal  
My inner magic - spread  
Find out how they feel  
And fill up my bed!  
  
Repeat this three times, then stay in your position for a few more minutes (between 3 and 5) and blow out the candle.   
  
"Well, "unconscious", "bed" and "sleep" are all words that fit in this situation, and the spell is vague enough for it to affect me instead of them. Even the part about feelings, if not quite the way they would have wanted it to work - maybe you're lucky I didn't show up in your bed as well, Harry, since you're my other best friend!"  
  
"Yes, yes, quite lucky, aren't I? Or I must simply accept the fact that you like Ron better than me..." Harry smiled.  
  
"Oh Harry, you know that isn't true! I love you both just the same. Maybe I was dreaming of Ron that night? I don't know, and the book doesn't explain much either, does it."  
  
"Dreaming of me? Have you done that before, Hermione?"  
  
"Of course I have. I've dreamed about Harry as well - I dream about lot's of people! What kind of a question is that?"  
  
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Does that book say any more about the spell? Like how to reverse it - unless you'd like to keep on sleeping in my bed - just a joke, Jesus. You don't need to get violent!"  
  
"Excuse me, but I wouldn't have to hurt you if you didn't make all these comments! Now lets find out about a counter spell or something similar."  
  
***  
  
Despite having found the spell they thought was responsible for Hermione's sleepwalking, the three friends didn't manage to find a counter spell that day. They decided to stop searching the library when Madam Pince kept giving them nasty looks, and went to bed after agreeing to meet up after lunch the next day.  
  
As Ron and Harry were getting ready for bed, Harry noticed Ron looked a bit down, so he asked his friend for the reason.  
  
"Me, down? No, I was just thinking."  
  
"About what? Must have been quite interesting as you didn't even twitch when Saemus slammed the door to the bathroom..."  
  
"Oh, did he? What was up with that?"  
  
"Remember, he had detention with Snape earlier. But no changing the topic! What were you thinking of?"  
  
"Really, it was nothing. Just debating over the whole spell thing...do you think we will find a way to end it?"  
  
"Of course we will. Just because we didn't find anything today doesn't mean there isn't anything. We never let ourselves be put off this quickly!"  
  
Harry turned around to get into bed, and Ron was glad he had convinced him that that was what he had been thinking of. It was part of it, certainly, but what had him feeling a bit disappointed was the easy explanation for the sleepwalking. He had hoped it had something to do with Hermione's feelings for him, but it had turned out to be her friendly feelings, not anything more.  
  
During the last few days Ron had finally come to admit that he was in love with his female friend, and of course he couldn't help wishing for his feelings to be returned. He had started having conflicting thoughts about Hermione after, no, even before the Yule ball in their fourth year, and over the last months it had been getting harder and harder to convince himself that it was only friendship or infatuation. The fact that even as Hermione was in his bed and he really wanted to kiss her, the thing holding him back was not fear of rejection but scaring her had clued him in.   
  
Knowing that she really only loved him as a friend did upset him, but he had been prepared for that all along. Now he only hoped he could keep from scaring her with his feelings by letting them show.  
  
***  
  
Surprisingly, it hadn't taken him long to fall asleep, so when a body slipped into bed with him, he was woken abruptly.   
  
He slipped his right arm around Hermione and pulled her closer to himself, then nestled his head in her hair and was just about to go back to sleep when she moved against him.  
  
"Ron?"  
  
"'Mione? Just go to sleep, I'll wake you tomorrow."   
  
"I just...yes, of course. Good night."  
  
"Wait. You just...?"  
  
"Oh. Well, I just wanted to thank you for not making a big deal about this. You have been so sweet during this whole thing, not once making complaints or teasing me too strongly, and I very much appreciate that. I'd love you anyway, but this has just shown me again that you're a great person."  
  
Ron was speechless. He did know Hermione loved him as a friend, but she didn't' express those feelings to Harry or him very often, she wasn't that demonstrative. It made his heart hurt and burst with pleasure at the same time.  
  
"You know I love you as well, Hermione. Sometimes I can't believe that I was ready to miss out on this great friendship years ago, when all I saw in you was just a little know-it-all...I know I wouldn't be the same today if I'd have only made friends with Harry.. I'd have probably failed my O.W.L.s!"  
  
"Hilarious", she replied in a dead pan voice but with a smile on her face, and Ron could have sworn there where tears in her eyes. He decided not to comment on them.  
  
"I know. But lets go to sleep now, I'm knackered."  
  
"Sure. You don't mind me staying here? I really don't want to walk back to my own dorm just now."  
  
"No, of course not. We've done it before, we can do it again, right? Sweet dreams."  
  
"Yes, good night."  
  
***  
That's it for now! I know it's not been beta-read, but I hope the mistakes aren't too bad!  
I'd love to hear from you, tell me what you liked and what you didn't! 


	5. Chapter 4a

Hi guys – I realize I haven't posted in a long while and that many of you think I have already abandoned this story, but I promise I have not. It is just taking me a long time to find an end to this – and end soon it will – but I will not leave you hanging. This is why I've posted only part of this chapter, so you can have something new to read at least. I know it's short, but enjoy!  
  
Chapter 4a  
  
That night Ron dreamed of Hermione. He did dream of her occasionally, so it wasn't this that made the dream so special. It wasn't even one of those dreams – the ones where he had to make sure nobody looked at the front of his sleeping trousers too closely when he had to get up the next morning – but it still left him shaken when he woke up.  
  
Harry and Hermione were standing in the rain, quietly talking to each other. He couldn't quite make out their words, but it seemed to be upsetting them both, as they kept wiping their eyes and touching each other. Ron was intrigued and started to walk over to them, only to realize he seemed to be floating instead of actually walking. It didn't seem that important though, and he kept his attention on his two best friend's conversation.  
  
"...won't even get to see Percy and Penelope's little one! Or see Ginny's wedding, or even find that special someone for himself...Oh Harry, why?" he caught the last part of Hermione's tearful exclamation.  
  
"I don't know Hermione, I just don't. He was so young still...so full of life! But I think he did find that special someone at least. I don't know who it was, but once he mentioned it 'wasn't meant to be' and that he didn't want to talk about it."Harry answered while holding onto a now openly sobbing Hermione.  
  
"But that's even worse", she cried. "He should have got to be with somebody, just as we eventually will get the chance to. It should have been 'meant to be'!". At this Harry started to slowly lead Hermione away from where they were standing, leaving Ron to see what he'd been expecting after having overheard their conversation.  
  
It was a headstone engraved with "Ronald Weasley – beloved son and friend".  
  
***  
  
As Ron opened his eyes he could feel a tear making its way down his cheek into the pillow. The dream had upset him, not only because he had been dead, but also because of Hermione's words in the dream. He did have the right to meant-to-be, and even if it turned out not to be meant, he owed it to himself to try.  
  
Having come to a conclusion, Ron wiped away the tear-track and turned around to look at the clock. It was half five in the morning, early enough for nobody to be awake but late enough for him to wake Hermione.  
  
"Hey sleepyhead! 'Mione, wake up!"  
  
She stirred and yawned before even opening her eyes.  
  
"Is it time already", she murmured sleepily as she opened her eyes with obvious difficulty. Ron had to smile. It seemed Hermione wasn't quite as immune to early mornings as he had expected.  
  
"Yes, unfortunately...we've got lessons in less than four hours! At least I'm sure that nobody is awake to see you go back to your own bed this early in the day!"  
  
"Oh well. At least we've got Transfiguration later on today, maybe we'll get our essays back!"  
  
The thought of this appeared to help Hermione wake up fully, and she slipped out of bed trying not to make a sound.  
  
"See you at breakfast", she whispered and quietly made her way out of the boys dorm.  
  
"Yes, see you there."  
  
Ron watched her leave, admiring the figure she made before concentrating on the day ahead.  
  
***  
  
A big thank you for all the reviews – they do help getting me to work on the story! 


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